New York's Middle Class

The American Dream used to mean that if you put in a hard day’s work, you could expect good wages, benefi ts, and a better life for your kids. But the kinds of jobs that can provide a solid middle-class life in return for hard work are in short supply in New York—unemployment is up, earnings are down, and hard-won benefi ts are being lost. The future of the middle class, which has been the backbone of New York’s economy for more than half a century, is at risk.